A Critique of Knowledge-Based Economies: A Case Study of Singapore Education Stakeholders

This article critically examines the sense-making processes of key stakeholders of Singapore's education: a historically dominant city-state, highly-qualified teachers, and high-performing students. The article interrogates the Teaching Schools Learning Nation policy initiative deployed toward achieving a knowledge-based economy. The article uses micropolitics in exploring issues that stakeholders face in the midst of globalization. Findings from research at the Centre for Research in Pedagogy and Practice at the National Institute of Education support key arguments. In exploring sense-making processes, the article uncovers paradoxical interpretational responses of stakeholders implementing the Teaching Schools Learning Nation policy, providing a critique of the city-state's knowledge-based economy ambitions

Multiliteracies project approach: dated or a worthy learning tool?

In the midst of the popularity of massive open online learning approach and the fourth industrial revolution, it seems that multiliteracies approach is losing its significance in the educational setting of Malaysia. This paper discusses the relevance of multiliteracies project approach in the current Malaysian academic arena since its introduction in the early 21st century. This paper will begin by outlining the significance of the multiliteracies approach at the local and global educational settings. The current study is part of a larger action research project that involved four action research cycles investigating multiliteracies approach in ESL (English for the Second Language) contexts. The data for the current study were collected from the second action research cycle, involving 28 participants who were learners of ESL at Bakti Polytechnic (pseudonym). Data were collected through classroom observation, semistructured interviews and classroom documents. The data show that multiliteracies approach still provides students with evocative learning experience and promotes the acquisition of necessary skills for students to participate in the 21st century particularly technological, critical thinking and teamwork skills. Findings suggest that multiliteracies approach has the potential to be expanded to further include the properties of the current sensation of the fourth industrial revolution

A Comparative Analysis of Variations in Synthetic Biology Regulation.

Synthetic biology is an emerging technology with the potential to offer significant scientific developments to various fields such as with pharmaceutical development. Despite such promise, it has uncertain potential risks that may yield lasting and consequential damage to humans, animals, and the environment. In order to address such risks, national governments may utilize regulatory instruments to capture the process of synthetic biology development. However, where synthetic biology remains an uncertain technology with limited experimental testing, the regulation and governance of synthetic biology may vary from one government to another. This dissertation seeks to explain why such variations in the regulation of synthetic biology arise across various governments. Focusing on the specific cases of the United States, Singapore, and the European Union, these variations are hypothesized to be caused by elements of risk culture, or the political and institutional factors that influence local regulatory decision making. This hypothesis is tested via a literature analysis and an assessment of subject expert interviews from each case via qualitative discourse analysis. More specifically, findings from this dissertation indicate that of these factors, historical path dependency of the regulation of genetically modified organisms and similar biotechnologies has the strongest effect with respect to influencing variations of regulation for synthetic biology.PHDHealth Services Organization & PolicyUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135739/1/bdtrump_1.pd

Berita Volume XXXII, Number 1 (2008)

Table of Contents Editor’s note... 1 Periodicals...1 Books...7 Conferences, Papers, Manuscripts, Positions .….11 Amnesty International...12 Prospectus...12 Research Staff...12https://ohioopen.library.ohio.edu/berita/1023/thumbnail.jp

Country of origin, branding strategy and internationalisation: The case of Chinese piano companies

This paper studies the internationalisation of Chinese piano firms from a branding perspective. The purpose of the paper is two folds. Firstly it examines the interplay between the country of origin (COO) effect and international branding, and how COO affects the choice of branding strategies in international markets. Secondly, it explores the possible link between international branding decisions and international expansion of the firm. A model is introduced that illustrates the relationships between COO, branding options and internationalisation. Corresponding with its progress in the internationalisation, a firm’s branding development in international markets may follow certain stages. As the firm moves to advanced stages, it increases its international brand equity; the impact from negative COO will decrease and eventually become irrelevant. Literature of internationalisation is largely based on the experience of MNEs from Western developed countries. Multinational firms from developing countries such as China possess some unique characteristics that make it very difficult to apply Western theories to them. The emergence of MNEs from developing countries calls for the development of new theories

Organizational dynamics: a journey of discovery

This thesis, informed by my learning in the Organizational Dynamics program, outlines a proposal for starting a management consulting firm focused on helping African entrepreneurs. I describe four courses that were instrumental in helping me realize where my academic and entrepreneurial strengths and interests lay and which also contributed to my vision to start a management consulting firm focused on African entrepreneurship. I provide a brief historical perspective of Sub-Saharan African economies which indicates that they are indeed growing and attracting foreign direct investment as well as generating local entrepreneurial activity. I argue that it makes economic and business sense to start a consulting firm that focuses on helping Africa entrepreneurs become better business managers especially in the field of human capital management. I conclude by presenting data that support this view as well as a proposal of the management consulting initiative

3D Printing and intellectual property futures

This report contains socio-legal research conducted on the relationship between 3D printing and intellectual property (IP) at the current point in time and in potential future scenarios, through the use of horizon-scanning methods in six countries—China, France, India, Russia, Singapore and the UK - to build a rich picture of this issue, comprising both developed and emerging economies

The evolution of citizenship education in nation-building in Singapore and Hong Kong

Citizenship Education is a highly political agenda for politicians and governments, especially those of the emerging nations studied in transitology. Political circumstances that surround the birth of ล nation are inextricably tied up with the unique economic, social and even globalisation contexts that shape the formation of that particular nation. Citizenship education mirrors the political climate of such circumstances. A ruling government's policies and ideologies are often transmitted to the masses through education in the form of citizenship education in its evolving forms that take after the political orientations of the nation. A historical-comparative study of Singapore and Hong Kong is the focus of the thesis and a combined case in point. This historical-comparative approach presents a chronological and qualitative analysis of Singapore and Hong Kong that links the past to the present, and points to future direction on how citizenship education has transformed in its focus, dimensions, content, message and values. Theories of nationalism, nation-state and national identity provide a basis for the understanding of the political, economic and social factors that impact nation- building and the subsequent evolvement of Civic and Moral Education in Singapore and Hong Kong after independence. In an analysis of the content-domain of citizenship education, Singapore’s curriculum is shown to reflect the ruling party's ideologies infused through National Education, where the Singapore story is sacrosanct and has to be mastered by all students so that the continual survival instinct is preserved at ill times. Hong Kong covers more breadth with a curriculum that includes the history of China that can be taught critically and a Chinese cultural heritage element that is infused into all the Key Learning subjects. The Life Event Approach is also more practical and relevant to the students' appreciation of the more individual-growth values learnt. Singapore is identified as an Objective/Globalised nation-state with a parallel Objective/Globalised National Identity that has a predominantly strong political leadership and economic priority in its nation-building foundation. It recognizes the need to rise up to the global challenges ahead. Hong Kong has a combination of Objective/Subjective/Globalised region-state with a parallel Objective/Subjective/Globalised National Identity with China due to its cultural heritage component inherited from China and also the need to meet global challenges. The thesis demonstrates how education can be used as a channel to serve the ideologies of the politicians who have a direct stake in shaping the focus of the political content in citizenship education in building national identity. It also illustrates how the respective political circumstances, economic reasons, social contexts and globalisation challenges drive the evolvement of the citizenship education in both Singapore and Hong Kong